Bob Dean from Leisure Labs gives some insights into the cooperation with Family Rides expert Sunkid

Since a few months Leisure Labs and Sunkid have teamed up to boost Sunkid Family Rides and Waterpark Conveyors at the North American market.Bob Dean from Leisure Labs gives some insights about their new partner Sunkid and how Family Rides and Waterpark Conveyors fit together.

In addition to Mack Rides, Great Coasters International and Mondial Rides, Leisure Labs recently started representing Sunkid. What does your new partner stand for? Sunkid is a globally active supplier with a broad range of products for parks, ski areas and all sorts of tourism regions. Their ride portfolio features really cool and unique ride systems specifically tailored to families with young children. We want to stay active in this attraction category, and Sunkid is a great expansion of our depth and range.

What makes the Sunkid Family Rides particularly interesting? What is the USP of these products? The trademark of these rides is their interactivity. The riders are always interacting with the rides to influence the experience. Also, in a world of sameness, these rides are different. Layer interactivity, uniqueness and small footprints, and you have something special. I have always said that if a higher quality unique alternative presented itself in the Family and Children’s ride market, Leisure Labs would be quite interested.

Are the rides known outside of Europe as well? Absolutely! The rides were originally developed and sold by Heege. The lack of a successor resulted in acquisition of that German company by Sunkid in 2009. The Family Rides are still manufactured in the German facility…hence their superior quality. More than 500 have been already been installed around the world over the past 40+ years.

What would be the best-known ride by Sunkid?The Heege Tower. It's a highly interactive family ride and rotating viewing tower with a very small footprint and amazing track-record of success. It is a fixed part of all Legoland Parks around the world and stands out with its nice vertical profile and diverse theme options.

Are there any new developments as well?Yes indeed. Since the merger, and in addition to the manufacturing facility in Germany, the company also has a large factory in Austria with about 15 designers at its disposal. The most recent development is the Sundancer, an interactive spin ride with a small footprint.

Apart from the family rides, Sunkid has recently started to focus on water parks. What led to this? Before the acquisition of Heege, outdoor conveyor belts for skiing areas, water parks and snow domes were the core business of Sunkid. With conveyors operating in 3,500 facilities around the world, Sunkid is by far the largest and most experienced player in the park and leisure market. With so much experience and specific product advantages, Sunkid will set new standards for water parks – no matter if in new facilities or if we are retrofitting and replacing conveyors for existing parks.

Thank you for the interview

2019-03

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